This invention relates to superconductors and more particularly to those that are referred to as "high temperature superconductors".
High temperature superconductors are known in the art, illustrative of which are those described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/158,345 filed on Feb. 22, 1988 by Martin John Sablik.
Among high temperature superconductors are several which are formed of a ceramic oxide, such as yttrium-barium-copper oxide. Although such high temperature ceramic oxide superconductors comprise a substantial step forward in the art, there have been problems in producing them. Typically, in the prior art, these high temperature superconductors have been fabricated by the so-called "shake" and "bake" method, according to which the metal oxide ingredients are ground together, compressed and then sintered in an oxygen atmosphere at elevated temperatures near the melting point. The elements react chemically to form the superconducting compound and fuse into a solid. However, it is known that oxygen is highly reactive in such a highly heated environment; and it is also known that in the absence of an oxygen rich atmosphere, some of the oxygen that is chemically bound to the other elements disassociates itself and migrates away, thus tending to destroy or degrade the superconducting properties of the material.